How Do I Live
by digiblue00
Summary: Alt Kyoto Arc: The entwined fates of the two left behind after the fall of Shishio Makoto. How do I live my life now? What should I do? These are the thoughts that plague them at the end. What is left for Misao to do and how can she help pick the pieces?


**(A/N: Wow, it has been SUCH a long time since I've written anything. To those that are actually reading this, thank you for choosing this fic of mine. *****bows* This fic is really precious to me, I've had this idea for so long but was never able to put it into words. Finally I'm picking up the courage to put it down and share the story with you all. I also hope that more people would understand the love I have for these two characters. Thank you again! *bows*)**

The air was still, nothing stirred but then again, at midnight who would be awake? The moon was unnaturally bright, almost as if it were trying to scrutinise the very land itself.

She was grateful that despite the moonlight, the back alley was dark and no one was able to see her and even then, no one would pay her a second glance. Questions and memories plagued her, they buzzed noisily at the back of her mind. Images of her grandfather replayed themselves and she remembered the warmth of his smiles, his hugs and the love and fondness he held for her. Now, she was left to face the world alone. She shook her head to clear her thoughts; she could not afford to give them more attention. If she gave them more attention, she feared that she would no longer have the strength to continue.

She saw something glinting on the earth below her, was it a coin? She was about to pick it up when she heard sounds of what seemed like a scuffle. Distinct footsteps of men running mixed with a horrible choir of muffled and strangled cries. And then almost as soon as she heard it, it was over and what was left was utter silence. It was as if even the earth itself was startled by what had occurred and had retreated in fear.

What had just happened? She had long since hidden herself behind a tower of stacked wooded crates that laid idly awaiting disposal. She stood there frozen but after a while, the silence that hung around her was fast becoming unbearable. Slowly, she inched her way past the crates, cringing at the noise that her footsteps were making against the dirt path. Soon, she had reached a two-way intersection. She saw that she one path continued straight on while the other turned left. She chose the first one seeing that it remained sheltered by the shadows of the shops.

She had already reached the centre of the intersection and was about to take another step when she saw something move from the corner of her eyes. Instinctively she turned to her left to get a better view of what had caught her attention.

Just as she guessed, the path that veered left led to the last row of shops and into an open grassy field, which explained why it was brighter than the other. Almost 50 metres away from her a strange and ghastly scene was unfolding before her.

A man dressed strangely in white stood in the centre of the road, a katana held out before him. From nowhere, another man much larger than the strange white-clad figure was charging towards him. He had unsheathed his own katana and was going for a full frontal attack! She wanted to yell out to the white-clad man, but instead had stood there transfixed. The winner of the battle had already been decided. With a swing of the katana, the battle had ended. The white-clad figure flicked the thick drops of red liquid from his katana and placed it back into its sheath. Calmly dismissing the presence of his defeated opponent whose torso now lay a few feet away.

She stood there, her mind slowly clicked events into place. She had just witnessed a murder hadn't she? Her eyes briefly studied the dead man, a pool of blood had now surrounded the two halves and she turned back to face the victor.

"So I have another witness?" She heard the man say and even what seemed like a low chuckle. The man's chuckle was empty but yet, was that a hint of amusement?

The man now turned to face her. She saw that his entire body was swathed in bandages. The dirty white strips of cloth caked in blood and grime clung to his body like a second skin which made her wonder what was wrong with his own skin. "Guess who just ran out of time?"

He took his time, slowly unsheathing his wakizashi as he walked towards her. The man exuded a dangerous aura and she was sure that he was enjoying the feeling of dread and fear he evoked in his victims. However, as he stood before her she felt strangely unafraid of him. He was definitely more than capable of getting rid of her but somehow her feet remained rooted to the ground. She was quite sure that of anyone was watching they definitely would have found such the sight strange. A little girl staring straight into the eyes of her murderer without so much as an attempt to escape.

She let her hands dangle by her side, what use were they anyway? She didn't know how long she held his stare, but almost as soon as she felt herself blinking she heard yet another strange sound. Was the man laughing?

The wakizashi was now in its sheath and the man had thrown his head back with a loud, humourless laugh. She was almost certain that someone was going to hear them and peer out of their window in curiosity but nothing of that sort happened.

The man stopped laughing and suddenly said, "You remind me of someone," and then with a vicious smile added, "Now go, before I change my mind."

The man turned and walked away. Without realising it, she had already dropped to her knees. It was now or never!

"Sir! Please take me with you!" She did not care now how strange she was acting or whether anyone would hear them now. The man stopped in his tracks. She knew that he had definitely heard her. She was also sure that if he had eyebrows they certainly would be raised at her audacious request.

Soon, she found herself walking behind him, uncertain where they were headed. Yet, inside a strange sensation bubbled inside her, something almost akin to relief…

Makimachi Misao stirred from her slumber. Was that a dream? It was such a strange memory to be relieving, especially her first encounter with Shishio Makoto-sama on the night of her grandfather's funeral. She sat up, taking deep breaths to clear her head then stood up. The day awaited her.

**(A/N: That was one of the hardest things I had to write. Hope that it peaked your interest in this fic xD I'm still trying to figure where should I go from here or should I leave it as a one-shot? Thank you again for reading and please leave a review!) **


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